Lunar: Althena's Prayer
by Deathshard
Summary: Althena is without a guardian. The Vile Tribe is growing in power. A boy named Dyne and his friend Noah have left Burg to save his debt-ridden father. Meanwhile, an urchin named Ghaleon is slowly coming to realize the price of true power.
1. Chapter 1

There was something wrong, and Dyne knew it.

Laughter from the brush ahead. Not uncommon in Burg, but intuition had taught him the difference between coy bliss and malicious mockary.

He slinked through the tall grass to investigate. Upon his arrival at the clearing beside the spring, he found a collective of the older children in a semi-circle around a smaller boy, tossing him to one another like a game of hot potato. Dyne recognized the victim. His friend Noah.

"Hey Noah, why you been gettin' so cozy with Ellin?" said the oldest of the boys before shoving him into the dirt. His cohorts cackled at Noah, who now lay face first in the soil.

"We're just friends, " Noah muttered, wiping a stream of blood from his cracked lips.

"Not no more you're not."

The boy prepared to lash out at Noah once more and Dyne barreled through the mob to aid his friend. Dyne caught the boy's glance, sheer horror, before he set him on his back with a right hook.

Silence now washed over the crowd. Dyne clenched his fists, and everyone got the message. They scampered off quickly, leaving their leader on his back in defeat, blood caking below his nose.

"Now that the odds are balanced, do you care to try your luck again Luke?" Dyne hovered over the boy. He stood warily. Blood dripped from his nose like a font.

"Whatever, Dyne." Luke wiped the blood on his sleeve before sulking toward the forest.

Dyne turned to Noah and extended his hand. Noah grabbed it with a smile. Dyne found no trouble lifting him to his feet. Sure, he was strong, but Noah was rather small, even for a fourteen year old. And he wasn't the only one who knew it either. Luke had obviously gotten wind of it.

"Thanks Dyne," uttered Noah, brushing straw from his gaunt arms with a sigh.

"Thanks? I thought you'd sock me for getting involved. I'm sure you could've pummeled them all yourself."

Noah laughed and shook his head. "Dyne, you know as well as I do that my face would look like a Slime if you didn't come along. You're too humble. If you showed a little confidence every now and then, you'd probably be out of Burg by now."

"Why would I ever want to leave Burg? Who else is going to watch your back?"

"Althena watches over me."

"Althena? Give me a break, Noah. Maybe if you'd stop believing in fairy tales, you wouldn't get beaten up so much."

"You'd better hope Althena doesn't hear you say that. You know she comes to Lunar as a human every so often."

Dyne scoffed, throwing his arm around Noah's shoulders. "And if that ever happens I'll slink to my knees and confess my undying love for her!" Noah laughed along with him, but Dyne could see in his eyes that he really believed all the stories. It was understandable. Noah was without a mother and his father was no bet. He needed someone to watch out for him. Dyne wouldn't count on Althena ever doing it though, which is why he liked shadowing Noah from time to time. He probably thought Althena had sent him herself, and if that was enough to keep his spirits up, then he was glad to do it.

Trouble was rare in Burg. There was nothing in this village but weeds and corn. Yet as it always seemed to do, trouble had found its way. But it was gone for now at least. And when it manifested again, he'd be waiting. He'd always be waiting for it.

The shimmer of the Blue Star had begun to bathe the meadow in its aqua penumbra. Dyne enjoyed the sun sets. The Blue Star had always looked more beautiful shedding a light of its own. He traced the blotches of green with his eyes, desperate to unearth some hidden mystery within. Nights like these made him yearn for life outside of Burg even more.

"I'd better get home before my Dad kills me," Noah said, beginning to saunter through the meadow. Dyne joined him at his side as always, ensuring no matter of man or monster would dare cross him again.

His friend.


	2. Chapter 2

Ghaleon was prepared to die for the girl he loved.

The Marke city guard had him pincered between a decrepit building in some seedy back alley of the ghetto, the tips of their swords trained directly at his boyish throat. He could see behind them, could see Merla struggling with the Watch Commander, his burly hand constricting her frail wrist like a serpent. The beast threw her, beat her within an inch of her short life, and dragged her through the cold mud, her cries wailing throughout the dismal city as its own citizens went about their daily routine of begging and bartering without so much as glancing in the direction of the assault. Such occurrences were frequent in a city which had long since disappeared from Althena's grace. This was nothing to be concerned about.

But for Ghaleon, such occurrences only existed to fuel his dormant rage. And it was this rage over Merla's abuse which put him in this situation to begin with.

"You've got a lot of brass, boy. Would make a fine guard one day. Pity I'm going to kill you now." It was the largest of the guards who spoke to him, a looming, colossus of a man, his distended biceps larger than Ghaleon's own head. The two guards beside him weren't as intimidating. Though their weapons were mere inches from slicing his jugular in half, he was certain he could deal with them swiftly. It was this Herculean dynamo which gave him the most cause for concern.

Ghaleon held his breath, inched as far behind him as he could before his back met the wall. Merla continued to scream in the distance, and with each painful yelp he grew more and more tense, felt his heart thrum faster in his chest, the knot in his stomach tighten. The guards encroached him now, ready for the death blow. And all Ghaleon did was lift his raggedy gray sleeve, extend his hand at the guards, and close his eyes.

When he opened them again, smoke burned his eyes. The scent of cinder was redolent in the air. All three guards, including the giant, were now nothing more than charred remains in the dirt. Interesting, he thought. Even the largest of men were no match for true power. A power he'd only recently discovered. A power he would grow.

He looked for Merla again. She lay in the mud, nearly breathless. The Watch Commander was gone.

Ghaleon ran to her side, knelt in the mud, cursed under his breath, fought tears, and held her close. He'd been an urchin of these streets for fourteen years, since birth, and Merla was the only friend he ever knew. They lived together in the cellar of Althena's chapel along with the other orphans. They were family. They were lovers.

Blood dripped in tumults from the pores of her face and soaked her raggedy hair into thick knots. He brushed a few strands aside and gazed into her lifeless blue eyes. She couldn't look back.

The town carried on around them, as if they were both nothing more than bumps in the road. With wet eyes he scrutinized all of them, scowled, and clenched his fists. Any single one of them at any moment could've lifted a finger. Had they, Merla would still be alive. A beautiful, young, innocent girl would still be breathing, singing, and could still kiss him at night as they lay cradled in each other's arms. Were there no heroes left in The Frontier? In the entire world?

And as she fell limp in his arms he shut his eyes and screamed toward the Blue Star.


End file.
